Things that make you think of Fresca

But one of the pastors at our church yesterday said the word “refresh.”

The word sent a jolt of electricity through me. When I dropped to a moment of self analyzation of why I was affected so strongly by this word “refresh” my prepubescent mind went to mental image of popping an ice cold can of Fresca. But I digress.

In this season of my life I drop dead every night in my bed, usually with my street clothes on, a diet coke precariously balanced on my aching head and a heating pad on my neck. I wake up early, almost in a panic of the things that have to get accomplished that day and my mind racing of the things I’ve no doubt forgotten to do. I’m manically energized. But oh so very, very tired.

I pray God to bless me with supernatural ability to accomplish all the things that are before me. I pray to God to send me the people to help finish the tasks behind and the ones I’ve forgotten. I pray to God to bless me with wisdom, energy, guidance, direction, and creativity. I pray to God to grant me success and the desires of my heart.

My mind knows it needs daily renewal.

My heart had forgotten it needed refreshing.

My typical pattern is to get the intellectual part of this journey down. I’m all about education and experience. I study the Word. I start my day reading and memorizing the Word. I love reading what other people think and feel about the Word. I love reading books about the Word. But that’s not all we need.

We need refreshing and not just a freshening up by jumping in the shower real quick, powdering our nose, and checking the pits. Our spirits need refreshing to fight off depression, mental exhaustion, and garbled minds. We need encouragement to to feel loved and accepted just as we are. Sabbaticals and individual times of rest can provide that renewing of the mind but refreshing of our souls come from being with God’s people. We need to pour into each other. In the Old Testament we see Jonathan ministering to David when David has been pursued and constantly threatened. Jonathan went to David and “strengthened his hand.” (1 Samuel 23:16-17). In the New Testament, we have the example of Philemon refreshing those around them to their innermost being. (Philemon 1:7). We need to be in each other’s lives not to suck the life out of each other but to be a blessing of all things good.

My heart is particularly refreshed by music and humor. Today I got to have lots of belly laughs and girlie giggles with my sisters in law and my Band of Sisters. All afternoon I wrote in my local Starbucks while they played some amazing jazz music. Normally, I would be collapsing but my heart has been refreshed by others filling me up with spiritual Fresca and I’m ready to take on the world again.

My heart, and mind, and soul are in alignment so all is well.

The obvious question is how to you renew your mind and refresh your heart? How have you been a blessing to others in this area of refreshment?

But more importantly, how can we as a community of believers refresh your heart? What’s your spiritual Fresca?